BARCELONA, Spain--Alcatel isn't exactly a household name but that hasn't stopped the phone maker from announcing a series of respectable devices at MWC 2013. The One Touch Snap features decidedly midrange components but likely won't affect your bank account greatly.

Under the hood you'll find a 1.2GHz quad-core MediaTek processor, a large 4.5-inch screen (960x540 pixels), 1GB of RAM, and 4GB of internal memory. All this drives the phone's Android 4.2 Jelly Bean software along at a steady clip. In fact the One Touch Snap demonstrated a decent amount of pep in my hands, flipping through menus and home screens with quickness. Of course the relatively low-resolution QHD screen doesn't contain many pixels to push around.

To capture images, the One Touch Snap comes equipped with an 8-megapixel main camera capable of 720p video recording. On the front of the device sits a 2-megapixel front-facing camera for vanity shots.

Alcatel plans to sell two versions of the One Touch Snap, one a GSM handset designed to connect to HSPA+ data networks, and an LTE model able to link to more modern 4G infrastructure. Besides radios, there are some minor differences between the One Touch Snap and aptly named One Touch Snap LTE.

The One Touch Snap LTE will use a 1.4GHz Snapdragon dual-core processor, which I imagine plays better with LTE than its sibling's MediaTek CPU. The Snap LTE's screen is a hair larger as well (4.65 inches) plus the handset itself is slightly thicker.

Available in China now, Alcatel expects the One Touch Snap to hit European markets by April 2013. Its LTE cousin though will take a little longer and is planned to occupy store shelves globally in July 2013.

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About The Author

Brian Bennett is senior editor for appliances at CNET and reviews a wide range of household and smart-home products. These include everything from microwave ovens, blenders, ranges and coffee makers to personal weather stations. An NYC native, Brian now resides in bucolic Louisville, Kentucky where he dreams of someday owning the sparkling house of the future.